The present invention is directed to apparatus for preparing popcorn via a closed-loop hot air cooking process and more particularly to such an apparatus suitable for use as a low maintenance, free-standing vending machine.
Popcorn vending machines are well known in the art and are discussed in various prior patents including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,307,657 and 5,020,688, as well as the references cited therein.
The use of hot air to "cook" or "pop" hard popcorn kernels is well known. The quality of the end product, i.e., the popcorn, is dependent upon several factors including the temperature of the air used for cooking and the cooking time duration.